India is setting up a cyber agency under the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) to deal with potent threats in the cyber space, Lt Gen M M Naravane, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command has said. He said that the Armed Forces were alive to cyber threats which necessitated a cyber agency that will be set up by pooling talent from all three services – Army, Air Force and Navy.
“It will be an inter-services agency, not purely Army, functioning under the IDS and they will be looking after all the threats in the cyber domain,” Naravane said during Army Day celebrations at Fort William, the Army’s Eastern Command headquarter.
The IDS is responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. “It will be headed by a two-star rank officer,” the Eastern Army Commander said.
Naravane said that the entire proposal is under final formulation. Stating that the cyber agency will not be a full-fledged command, he said its units will be spread across the country. “There will be units or cells or dedicated officers at every headquarter to deal with the aspect of cyber security,” he said.
